Experience boundless art at the 2025 Metrobank Art & Design Excellence Exhibition.

By Art+ Magazine Team
Photo courtesy of The Metrobank Foundation, Inc.
September 26, 2025

The Metrobank Foundation, Inc. (MBFI) invites the public to the 2025 Metrobank Art & Design Excellence (MADE) Exhibition titled, Vast Horizons, running from September 19 to October 18, 2025, at the 2F North and South Galleries of The M in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Free and open to all, this month-long exhibition features the awardees, semi-finalists, and national finalists of this year’s MADE competition.

Now on its 41st year, MADE continues its mission of nurturing and celebrating the next generation of Filipino artists. The 2025 competition underscores its commitment to pushing the limits of Filipino creativity. In line with this vision, this edition marks the return of the Mixed Media category—from its first appearance since the 1984 to 1987 editions. This revival not only honors the program’s roots, but also signals MADE’s forward-looking evolution in the local art landscape.

MBFI President Philip U. Dy; MBFI Senior Vice President Anjanette Dy Buncio; Metrobank Group Chairman Arthur V. Ty; Ambassador of Japan, Endo Kazuya; renowned broadcast journalist, Karen Davila; MBFI Vice Chairman Alfred Ty; Metropolitan Museum of Manila President Tina Colayco; and Metrobank President Fabian Dee.

MBFI President Philip Dy emphasized the program’s broader role in national development, saying: “We believe that the growth of Filipino artists contributes to building a more vibrant and cohesive nation. Through MADE, we are committed to cultivating boundless spaces for expression, innovation, and lifelong learning so that our artists can continue to shape not just the country’s cultural legacy, but also inspire new ways of thinking.”

2025 MADE Awardees

The 2025 Grand Awardees for their respective categories are:

Rober Mark A. Liwanag, Sariling Tahanan, (...And We Are Home) – Sculpture

Jao Eugene S. Pelaez, Tulad ng Isang Halaman na Minsan Nanirahan (Like a Plant That Once Lived) – Mixed Media

Jack Enriquez De Castro, Finding the Light Within – Painting (Oil/Acrylic on Canvas)

Special Citations were awarded to select artists as well:

John Michael Martines Delmo, Bagahe (Baggage) – Sculpture

Rhoss John Farro Gadiana, I See Era – Mixed Media

Marc Allan Elizan Jose, The Road You’ve Never Taken – Painting

Benedict John Iñigo Simbulan, Gunita (Memoir) – Painting

Panel of Judges

The 2025 MADE awardees were selected by a distinguished panel of judges, led by Toym Leon Imao—a multi-awarded visual artist and art educator and former MADE awardee—alongside fellow former MADE awardees and contemporary art masters Leeroy New and Raffy Napay. They were also joined by contemporary art market luminaries Frederick Flores and Geraldine Araneta, sculptor Reginald Yuson, and renowned curator Tessa Maria Guazon.

Mr. Imao regards the MADE competition as the benchmark and the gold standard: “This [MADE] is not just a contest—this is community building. Beyond the prize money, it is the community you belong to, the circle of winners, the support mechanism that comes afterwards. And of course, the prestige that this art competition brings.”

The 2025 MADE competition drew an impressive range of paintings, sculptures, and mixed media artworks from all 17 regions of the country. Grand awardees in each category received PhP500,000 worth of prizes—comprising of a PhP350,000 cash award and a PhP150,000 scholarship to the Eskinita Art Residency Program to be mentored by former MADE awardee Alfredo Esquillo. Awardees also took home the coveted “More” trophy, sculpted by renowned artist Juan Sajid, which this year shifted from steel to brass, reinforcing art’s ever-evolving nature.

“It’s a great honor for me to be a partner of the Metrobank Foundation because I started my artistic journey here. We hope that this link will be very successful in terms of helping the new MADE winners develop as an artist. It’s important for us at Eskinita that they continue creating art after joining MADE competition,” shared Esquillo.

2025 MADE Awardees: (standing, L-R) Jao Eugene Sabangan Pelaez, John Michael Martines Delmo, Jack Enriquez De Castro, Rober Mark A. Liwanag, (sitting, L-R) Benedict John Iñigo Simbulan, Rhoss John Farro Gadiana, Marc Allan Elizan Jose.

Artists whose works closely contended with the grand prize awardees received special citations, with PhP100,000 cash prizes and the “More” trophy. National finalists also received PhP20,000 cash prize each and a Plaque of Recognition.

The 2025 exhibition builds on the momentum of last year’s acclaimed “Sibol: 40 Years of the Metrobank Art & Design Excellence.” 2024’s month-long exhibition received international recognition from the International Public Relations Association (IPRA), winning a Golden World Award for Excellence in the Arts and Entertainment category. This placed the Philippines alongside global honorees from the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom. The exhibition also garnered two Silver Anvil Awards from the Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP) and Quill Award from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).

Beyond the competition and exhibition, MADE remains a driving force in empowering Filipino artists through year-round activities such as workshops, mentoring programs, and partnerships. For over four decades, the program has recognized more than 200 artists and contributed significantly to the growth of Philippine art.

MADE: Empowering Filipino Artists

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